Surgical staples are well known in the surgical arts. These staples have been widely used by physicians to close incisions. Surgical staples have proven to be a useful alternative available to the physician in lieu of conventional sutures.
Surgical staples have also been used in various surgical procedures. For example, when performing a surgical procedure to repair an inguinal hernia, one common technique is to affix a biocompatible surgical mesh over the site of the inguinal hernia. This is typically done by stapling the surgical mesh to the tissue and muscle surrounding the site of the hernia. The staples used in this procedure are, typically, conventional metal staples made from stainless steel, titanium, tantalum, or the like. There are several disadvantages associated with the use of metal staples in such an operation. One obvious disadvantage is that the metal staple remains inside of the patient indefinitely. In addition, it is not uncommon for a nerve to be entrapped and compressed by a metal staple. It is believed that this may cause residual pain in the patient. In order to alleviate such pain, a subsequent operation may be required to remove and/or replace the staples.
The use of absorbable staples may help to overcome this problem and eliminate the need for additional surgery since the absorbable staple would absorb over time, thereby relieving any pressure upon a compressed nerve. Although absorbable staples are known in this art, such staples typically require access to both sides of a tissue site since they typically consist of an upper section having a crown and legs and a lower receiver. The lower receiver engages and locks the legs of the staple. Therefore, the absorbable staples known in the art are typically not usable in surgical procedures such as repair of an inguinal hernia where there is only access to one side of the tissue.
Therefore, there is a need in this art for an absorbable staple which does not require a second separate piece to lock the staple into place in tissue and which can be applied and secured from one side of the tissue in an endoscopic or open surgical procedure.